432 DOMESTIC ECONOMY. [Chap. IV. 



fruits for winter use on a small scale this ycai-, and if successful, enlarge 

 upon it next year 



A new mode, to us, of canning fruit is recommended as follows : 

 " Take a common wide-mouthed crock or jar of any size ; prepare the 

 fruit in the usual way ; fill the jar and tie two waxed cloths tightly over 

 the mouth. Tlie jar must not be very narrow-mouthed in proportion t*) its 

 size. A common, straight, stone gallon jar is of good proportions. If the 

 mouth is too small, the clotlis can not follow the surface of the fruit down 

 in a cold time. Tlie cloth must touch the fruit at all times, and if the 

 mouth is wide it can rise and fall with the weather. In order to have the 

 jar very full, it is well to let the fruit cool down a little below 212 de- 

 grees ; then fill up with more fruit just before putting on the cloth. The 

 cloths may be of the common muslin, but they must be soaked in melted 

 wax. The wax should be beeswax chiefly ; a little rosin and tallow will 

 help it." 



485. Dry Sa^ar-PreserTingi — Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cher- 

 ries, and peaches can be preserved in this manner : Lay tlio ripe fruit in 

 broad dishes, and sprinkle over it the same quantity of sugar used in cook- 

 ing it. Set it in the sun or a moderately heated oven until the juice forms 

 a thick syrup with the sugar. Pack the fruit in tumblers, and pour the 

 syrujj over it. Paste writing-paper over the glasses, and set them in a cool, 

 dry place. Peaches must be pared and split, and cherries stoned. Pre- 

 served in this manner, the fruit retains much more of its natural flavor and 

 healthfulness than when cooked. The paper which is usually pasted over 

 jars of preserves is porous, and admits air. To render it perfectly impervi- 

 ous to air, apply the white of an egg with a brush to the paper before cover- 

 ing the jars, overlapping the edges an inch or two. 



486. Dry Pressure Preserving. — By submitting vegetables to a powerful 

 pressure, they have been prepared in France so that they have been kept in 

 a dry state many months. Cabbages, beets, parsneps, peas, apples, etc., are 

 divested of all moisture by a powerful hydraulic press, and thus are packed 

 in small compass for use of men on ship-board. They are a tolerable sub- 

 stitute for fresh vegetables, but as unlike them as bull beef is to tender 

 lamb. Upon such a voyage, however, as that of the Grinnell expedition, 

 where the ships were frozen up nine mouths, a taste of such food as this 

 would have been not only palatable, but extremely beneficial to health. We 

 understand it is not expensive. 



487. Currant Jelljt — As currant jelly is pleasant and useful to both the 

 sick and the well, we give the following directions for making it of excellent 

 quality, which retains the beautiful crimson color of the currant much bet- 

 ter than that made by the old mode: "Squeeze the juice out of the cur- 

 rants, strain and measure it, put it in a porcelain or very well-cleaned cojv 

 per or brass kettle, and boil it until the scum ceases to rise ; then, without 

 taking the juice off the fire, stir in one pound of well-refined sugar to every 

 pint of juice, and as soon as the sugar is fidly dissolved — which will bo 



